After criticism from BJP, the Pinarayi Vijayan government backtracked the Kochi metro inaugural after speculations that a date clashing with Modi’s upcoming Europe trip was intentionally chosen to prevent the Prime Minister from attending the function.

According to media reports, the chief minister said “We expect the PM will give us a date. The inauguration date will be decided only after that.” Earlier, a controversy erupted after the state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said the inauguration will be held on May 30 and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate it, if the prime minister cannot make it to the function.

The first service trials of the Kochi Metro were conducted on May 10 paving the way for commercial operations. The metro will cover a distance of 13 km between Aluva and Palarivattom – in its first phase. It will have 11 stops, with a total run time of 20 minutes.